An environmental expert who works nearby told The Daily Telegraph: "For the last few years you've had to be really careful walking around there.

"People often have their glasses blown off and I've seen people pushed off the pavement. The bridge where the lorry went over is closed a few times a year because of the wind."

Bridgewater Place is, at 32 stories, the tallest building in Leeds and is visible from up to 25 miles away.

Its completion was delayed by winds which made it difficult to use giant cranes.

The ground floor is taken up by shops such as Tesco and Starbucks but when it is windy, the front doors to the building have to be locked to prevent disruption.

Developers have recognised wind is a problem and are currently looking at installing 13ft-high windbreaks in front of the entrance.

Comments on local news websites yesterday noted the wind problems the building created, one wrote: "Ever since Bridgewater Place has been built this has been an accident waiting to happen... it's like a wind tunnel some days."

It has been controversial in the past - in 2008 the architectural journal Building Design shortlisted it for its annual Carbuncle Cup, which is given to "buildings so ugly they freeze the heart".

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said the wind tunnel claims would be considered as part of the investigation.

She said: "We will look into everything. We won't be ruling anything out, including this possibility."

A spokesman for Leeds City Council said: "We are aware of problems caused by wind speed in and around Bridgewater Place and are in discussions with the owners of the building about what can be done.

"As part of the original planning application, a wind assessment was carried out on behalf of the developer and this indicated that the impact the building would have on wind speed would be minimal.

"However, since completion, there have been unforeseen wind issues and we are looking at ways this can be addressed. We will look urgently at other ways of making the area safer."

High winds affected much of Yorkshire yesterday. A van and a heavy goods vehicle were blown over on the A1, injuring two, and a tree was blown onto a train at Knaresborough station, injuring two passengers.

A spokeswoman for Bridgewater Place Ltd, the building's owners, said: "All building and planning regulations were fully adhered to in the development of Bridgewater Place. A comprehensive wind tunnel analysis was conducted to assess the effect of the building on the surrounding area."